This disclosure relates to semiconductor devices and methods for fabricating the same and, more particularly, to three-dimensional semiconductor devices with improved reliability and degree (or density) of integration, and methods for fabricating the same.
Semiconductor devices generally are becoming more highly integrated in order to provide higher performance and lower costs. Integration density of semiconductor devices is a factor that influences the costs of the semiconductor devices. In general, a high integration density or degree of integration (integration degree) of semiconductor devices is demanded. The degree of integration of a conventional two-dimensional (2D) or planar memory device is mainly determined by the area a unit memory cell occupies. Therefore, the integration density of the conventional 2D memory device is greatly affected by the capability of techniques of forming fine patterns. Extremely high-priced equipment is needed in order to form fine patterns, and while the integration density of 2D memory devices continues to increase, there are technical and economic considerations.